Snowmobiler found dead in avalanche outside Crested Butte

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A snowmobiler is dead after avalanches swept through the Rocky Mountains on Monday, Feb. 10.

The person was killed in a large avalanche near Kebler Pass outside Crested Butte, according to Gunnison County coroner Frank Vader. This was the ninth avalanche-related death nationally this winter. Another snowmobiler was buried, but was able to escape.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) reports the Kebler Pass slide happened on a south- to southeast-facing slope below treeline. The slide was about 600 feet wide, and ran about 750 vertical feet at depths of two to five feet. Debris at the bottom was piled up to 20 feet deep.